Meg Hodgson grew up in a traditional sporting family. She mostly hunted upland birds and waterfowl with her father, brother, and uncles as a kid; spending weekends at a family camp her great grandparents purchased after WWII. Although she enjoyed hunting, what she later realized was the time together, hearing the same "old" stories time and time again, was what she truly loved. Meg is a hard working professional, wife, mother, and firearms instructor. As a wife to a non-hunter and mom to a six year old daughter, Meg is passionate about introducing her daughter to the outdoors. Through the years Meg occasionally hunted with friends. She always thought hunting needed to be a social activity. It wasn't until recently that she decided she could go it alone. Not only can she do it, but she found she really enjoyed her solo adventures and has been successful doing so. With having success during her first solo deer season, Meg decided it was time to try turkey hunting after observing local birds the spring following her first solo adventure. With her first venture into the spring turkey woods culminating with a Tom slung over her shoulder, Meg has declared turkey hunting her favorite!

The Wizard of Pods - Meet Producer Jay Scott Ammann

In this episode, Fred sits down with Cliff Cadet, host of, When the Hunt Calls, podcast, and the founder of Urban Archery NCY. Cliff is a native New Yorker growing up in Brooklyn and a life long admirer of classic literary archers. In this important and powerful episode, Cliff and Fred discuss the obstacles Cliff has had to overcome as a black man from the city as he pursues his hunting goals. What is is like to set up the logistics of the hunt when your ground isn't close? What do you do for transportation out of the concrete jungle when your household has one family vehicle? What do you do with your meat if your home is in a high-rise? All of this plus, Cliff relives his first turkey hunt in New York State. 

In this episode, Fred and guest, Phil Ferrare of the National Wild Turkey Federation discuss shotgun set ups, patterning, and turkey optics in an in depth look at getting ready for the coming season. Phil is a 30 year turkey hunting veteran with a wealth of knowledge and is an ardent turkey shotgun setup enthusiast. Phil also provides a brief update on the NWTF and what the organization has endured during the pandemic, the upcoming NWTF Convention going virtual, and more.

Welcome to the Morning Thunder podcast Launch! Join host, Fred Bird, as he discusses the goals for the newest podcast to join the Northwoods Collective family of podcasts. The host covers a bit about himself, his experiences, general wonderings about the wild turkey and big picture upland conservation.

Greg Kretschmar is a 30 (plus) year radio talk show veteran in the New England market and host of the, Greg and the Morning Buzz morning show based in NH, heard by millions across the nation. As Greg says he's, "just a normal guy in an abnormal job." An avid photographer of nature and wildlife, Greg and Fred discuss his passion for the outdoors, Greg's first turkey hunt, The Morning Buzz's Lend A Helping Can radio-thon, and how turkey hunting played a roll, growing up in a hunting family, and a brief discussion of who in "the biz" enjoys getting after it in the wild. Greg and the Morning Buzz also enjoy a highly successful, "after the show" podcast which you should check out after you listen to the Morning Thunder podcast.